I am like a man so busy in letting rooms in one end of his house, that he can't stop to put out the fire that is burning the other.
Abraham LincolnRead
No man is good enough to govern another man without the other's consent.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True leadership requires the consent and support of those being led.
Abraham Lincoln's quote emphasizes that no individual possesses the inherent right to govern another without their agreement. It suggests that legitimate authority is derived from the consent of the governed, implying that leadership should be collaborative and rooted in mutual respect rather than coercion or domination.
Themes
LeadershipGovernanceConsentAuthorityRespect
In practice
Example use cases
During a town hall meeting, a politician might quote Lincoln to emphasize the importance of community input in decision-making.
More from Abraham Lincoln
All quotes βSir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.
Abraham LincolnRead
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.
Abraham LincolnRead
How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg.
Abraham LincolnRead
For it has been said, all that a man hath will he give for his life; and while all contribute of their substance the soldier puts his life at stake, and often yields it up in his country's cause. The highest merit, then is due to the soldier.
Abraham LincolnRead
And having thus chosen our course, without guile, and with pure purpose, let us renew our trust in God, and go forward without fear, and with manly hearts.
Abraham LincolnRead
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Presidents grow up in the White House. The times shape the man.
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You need people who have their own views, whose views you respect, whom you can have a productive disagreement with, and work out ideas which you might not have come up with, or who improve on ideas you had.
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When we're playing a good scoring center, we tell our team that it is not our defensive man's job to stop the center. It's the responsibility of our perimeter people to stop the ball from going inside.
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Leadership is simply the ability of an individual to coalesce the efforts of other individuals toward achieving common goals. It boils down to looking after your people and ensuring that, from top to bottom, everyone feels part of the team.
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The kinds of errors that cause plane crashes are invariably errors of teamwork and communication.
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